Combustion synthesis and characterization of Sn4+ substituted nanocrystalline NiFe2O4

A series of Sn4+ substituted NiFe2O4 with general formula Ni1-xSnxFe2O4 (x=0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8) has been prepared by novel combustion synthetic method. The prepared compounds have been sintered at 1000 degrees C and evaluated for their structural and electrical properties. XRD studies reveal the synthesized compounds are nanocrystalline size with cubic structure. The Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra show the characteristic features of the synthesized ferrite compounds. The UV-vis spectra reveal the optical band gap of the synthesized compounds. The dc electrical conductivity of the compounds found to increase with increasing measuring temperature. A maximum dc electrical conductivity of 6.0 S cm(-1) was obtained at a measuring temperature of 1000 degrees C in the composition of x=0.8 for which the activation energy for conduction is found to be minimum. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.